Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for treating a mammal with pyruvic acid and its salts and esters to inhibit the growth of malignancy, the spread of malignancy and to retard DNA breaks.
Pyruvate has been described for use in retarding fatty deposits in livers (U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,057); for retarding diabetes (U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,790); for retarding weight gain (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,812,479, 4,548,937, 4,351,835); to increase body protein concentration in a mammal (U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,576); for treating cardiac patients to increase the cardiac output without accompanying increase in cardiac oxygen demand (Ser. No. 802,062, filed Nov. 27, 1991); for extending athletic endurance (U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,835); and for retarding cholesterol increase (U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,162).
Malignancies are usually carcinoma, associated with glands, lungs, etc. or sarcoma, associated with muscle, bone. Malignancies are a major medical problem in mammals, and particularly involving humans. The adenocarcinoma is a form of malignancy (carcinoma) which is known to function predictably in rats and similarly in rats and in humans. In malignancies the DNA strands become damaged and break.